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1. High-Quality Work Relationships &
Employee Vitality:
Does Thinking About Relationships Make a
Difference?
Meghana A. Rao, MA, MOD Meghana.Rao@cgu.edu
July 3rd, 2014
2. Work Relationships
Relationships in the organizational context
• Customer relationships (Kahn, 1998)
• Leader-member exchange relationships (Graen & Uhl-Bien,
1995)
• Relationship networks (Moch, 1980)
4. High-quality connections
High-quality connections (Dutton, 2003)
• Short-term positive dyadic interactions
• Dynamic, generative, life-giving “connective tissue”
between individuals
• High-quality connections - flexible, strong and resilient; in
low-quality connections - more brittle with every
interaction
• Unit of analysis is brief encounters and “micro-bits” of
interactions
5. Components of High Quality Connections
Structural Capacities
• Emotion carrying capacity
• Tensility of the connection
• Openness-based connectivity
Emotional Experiences
• Positive regard
• Mutuality
• Vitality
7. Socio-Cognitive Process:
Relational Cognition
• The cognitive attention focused on the
relationship and the interactions between
partners (Martin, 1991)
• Cognitive attention affects interpersonal
judgments (Blanchard-Fields & Cooper,
2004)
• Cognitive appraisal of events rather
than the events themselves shape and
impact emotions (Siemer, Mauss, &
Gross, 2007)
8. Study
Research question: Exploring the role of relational cognition in
high-quality relationships and its impact on vitality
Hypothesis: Relational cognition would moderate the links
between
a) emotion-carrying capacity
b) tensility
c) opennness based connectivity
d) positive regard
e) mutuality
and Vitality (Dependent Variable)
9. Method
• Web-based online survey conducted in the U.S.
• Sample: n=401; Female = 49%; Caucasian American = 81%
• Respondents had to meet the following criteria to participate:
• Should have been employed at the current organization for
at least 6 months
• Should work for 35 or more hours per week
• Have face-to-face interaction with at least 3 co-workers
regularly
• Should be working in an office that has 5 or more
employees
• Measures –
• High-Quality Relationships scale (HQR; Carmeli, 2009)
• Relationship Thinking scale (Cate, Koval, Lloyd & Wilson,
1995) adapted for the organizational context
12. Regression Model with Positive Affect, Co-worker and Network thinking
Note: Unstandardized parameter estimates. N = 401. ***p < .001; **p < .01; *p < .05.
Network
Thoughts
Vitality
a3=.226** b3=.378***
c = .872***
Questioning
Thoughts
Positive
Affect
Thoughts
a1= .324***
b1= 1.265***
b2= .048nsa2= -.106ns
c1’= .673*** c2’= .89*** c3’= .83***Positive
Regard
Regression Model with Positive Regard and Relationship Thoughts for Males
13. Regression Model with Positive Affect, Co-worker and Network thinking For Females
Note: Unstandardized parameter estimates. N = 401. ***p < .001; **p < .01; *p < .05.
Network
Thoughts
Vitality
a3=.202** b3=.534***
c = 1.076***
Questioning
Thoughts
Positive
Affect
Thoughts
a1= .337***
b1= 1.413***
b2= -.322**a2= -.263***
c1’= .913*** c2’= 1.100*** c3’= 1.025***Positive
Regard
Regression Model with Positive Regard and Relationship Thoughts for Females
14. Regression Model with Mutuality and Relationship Thoughts for Males
d Relationship Thoughts For Males
Note: Unstandardized parameter estimates. N = 401. ***p < .001; **p < .01; *p < .05.
Network
Thoughts
Vitality
a3=.18ns b3=.378***
c = 1.116***
Questioning
Thoughts
Positive
Affect
Thoughts
a1= .439***
b1= 1.265***
b2= .048nsa2= -.152ns
c1’= .816*** c2’= 1.141*** c3’= 1.068***Mutuality
15. Regression Model with Mutuality and Relationship Thoughts for Females
hts For Females
Note: Unstandardized parameter estimates. N = 401. ***p < .001; **p < .01; *p < .05.
Network
Thoughts
Vitality
a3=.179* b3=.534***
c = 1.375***
Questioning
Thoughts
Positive
Affect
Thoughts
a1= .428***
b1= 1.413***
b2= -.322**a2= -.304***
c1’= 1.162*** c2’= 1.389*** c3’= 1.315***Mutuality
16. Discussion & Conclusion
• Emotional experiences are strongly related to vitality
• Women are more likely than men to have fewer
ruminative/questioning thoughts if their work relationships
are characterized by positive emotional experiences
• Women are more likely than men to experience a decrease
in vitality if they have ruminative/questioning thoughts
about their work relationships
• Limitations –
• Mono-method bias
• May vary across cultural contexts
17. Implications & Future Directions
• Impact of relationship-enhancing thoughts
• Exploration of relationship thoughts in different
relationships, e.g. mentoring, supervisory, etc.
• Impact of interdependency, closeness, amount of
interaction
18. References
Blanchard-Fields, F., & Cooper, C. (2004). Social cognition and social relationships. In F. R. Lang, K. L. Fingerman,
F. R. Lang, K. L. Fingerman (Eds.) , Growing together: Personal relationships across the lifespan (pp. 268-289).
New York, NY US: Cambridge University Press.
Carmeli, A. (2009) Positive work relationships, vitality, and job performance. In C.E.J. Hartel, N. M. Ashkanasy,
W. J. Zerbe (Eds.) , Research on emotions Volume 5: Emotions in groups, organizations and cultures (pp. 45-
71). Bingley, WA UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Cate, R. M., Koval, J., Lloyd, S. A., & Wilson, G. (1995). Assessment of relationship thinking in dating
relationships. Personal Relationships, 2(2), 77-95
Dutton, J. E. (2003). Energize your workplace: How to build and sustain high-quality connections at work. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Graen, G. B., & Uhl-Bien, M. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-
member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain
perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 219-247.
Kahn, B. E. (1998). Dynamic relationships with customers: High-variety strategies. Journal of the Academy of
Marketing Science, 26(1), 45-53. doi:10.1177/0092070398261005
Martin, R. W. (1991). Examining personal relationship thinking: The Relational Cognition Complexity
Instrument. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 8(4), 467-480.
Moch, M. K. (1980). Job involvement, internal motivation, and employees' integration into networks of work
relationships. Organizational Behavior & Human Performance, 25(1), 15-31. doi:10.1016/0030-
5073(80)90023-9
Siemer, M., Mauss, I., & Gross, J. J. (2007). Same situation--different emotions: How appraisals shape our
emotions. Emotion, 7(3), 592-600. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.7.3.592
